Finding Info Online

1
Finding Info Online

• FREC135-011

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General Internet Searching

• Text Search Engines
• http//www.google.com
• Advanced
• - OR
• Site
• Advanced GUI

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Text Searches (cont.)

• MetaSearches Dogpile
• Directories
• http//www.yahoo.com

4
General Media Archives

• Links from UD Library
• http//www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/elecimgs/
• Multimedia Search Engines
• Google
• Lycos
• Altavista
• Content Archives
• Internet Archive
• iBiblio (http//www.ibiblio.org/pic/index.htm)

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Specific Searches

• http//citeseer.ist.psu.edu/ (CIS)
• http//laurel.nal.usda.gov/agnic/
• http//agecon.lib.umn.edu/
• More later

6
New Ways to Search

• Sets
• Context / Relationship Mapping
• Visual Searching

7
UD Library Resources

• DELCAT
• Networked Databases
• Lexis-Nexis (General)
• AGRICOLA
• Science Direct
• Full-Text vs. Abstracts
• Article Express
• Electronic Journals
• Using the Proxy Server (off-campus)

8
College Specific Resources

• Subject Guides
• Agriculture
• Branch Library

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Assessing Information

• Popular vs. Scholarly
• http//www2.lib.udel.edu/ref/howto/schvspop.htm
• Evaluating your Sources
• http//www2.lib.udel.edu/ref/howto/evalsour.htm
• Bias?
• Qualifications?
• Primary source material?

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Finding Information is only part of the issue

• Information overload
• For most topics, more info than time
• Must search and evaluate quickly and intelligently

11
Exercise

• Find info on a US President
• Chose Alexander Hamilton (10 bill guy)
• Google President Alexander Hamilton
• (Watch out for CSA President Alexander Hamilton
  Stephens)
• Find 2 academic sources
• http//www.historyteacher.net/USProjects/MyEssay12
  .htm
• http//pup.princeton.edu/chapters/i7524.html

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Exersise

• Problem? There was no President Alexander
  Hamilton
• http//www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
• He was a founding father (co-authored Federalists
  Papers) and 1st Secretary of the Treasury
• Killed by Jeffersons VP (Burr) in a duel